Argentinean bishops condemn abortion and reject international laws that promote it

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Mar 17, 2005 / 12:00 am (CNA).- The Executive Committee of the Bishops Conference of Argentina has issued a statement condemning abortion and calling on lawmakers to reject the controversial UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
The statement entitled, “Let’s always bet on life,” reiterates that the first of all human rights “is precisely the right to life, which should be protected from conception to natural death.”

The statement also notes that “science teaches us that conception generates a new human life with its own genetic code, distinct from that of the parents,” and therefore “its willful destruction constitutes a crime,” and thus Argentinean law “considers abortion a crime.”

The bishops warned as well that the arguments put forth to legalize abortion “reflect the neo-colonialist strategies that some international organisms seek to impose on our country and on all of Latin America.” “Our commitment to the rights of women does not depend on agreements or recommendations that claim to guarantee the practice of abortion as a public service,” they added.

The bishops warned that approval of the CEDAW would lead to a dangerous cultural dependence for Argentina.

“Let us defend life, let us care for life, let us always bet on life,” the statement concludes.